Maurice Rocher (1918-1995)
Biography
Maurice Rocher, born on August 1, 1918, in Évron and deceased on July 12, 1995, in Versailles, was a French painter whose work was imbued with expressionism and spirituality. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Ateliers d'Art Sacré under the guidance of Maurice Denis and Georges Desvallières, he explored intense and often mystical themes such as crucifixions, tormented figures, textured faces, women, and couples. His art, influenced by Constant Permeke, was characterized by dark tones, particularly during his "brown period" from 1936 to 1965, and later, between 1966 and 1995, by compositions rich in pictorial material and more colorful nuances.
From the 1940s onward, he embarked on a prolific production of stained glass, creating works for over a hundred religious buildings in France and abroad. Maurice Rocher was also a co-founder of the Centre d'Art Sacré in 1948, where he taught until 1952. He exhibited in various galleries in Paris and the provinces and participated in prestigious art salons such as the Salon d'Automne, the Paris Biennale, and several international exhibitions (Tokyo, Brussels, Tehran). Despite recognition from his peers, he remained on the margins of dominant contemporary art movements, likely because expressionism was not widely appreciated in France, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century. His introspective approach, personal rigor, and high standards made him a man unwilling to engage in flattery or compromise.
Maurice Rocher remains an unclassifiable artist, an "anarcho-mystic," as one of his biographers described him. Marked first by faith, then by doubt, and finally by a quest for meaning, his work remains a profound inquiry into eternal values, bridging the sacred and the profane. By hosting this retrospective, the Galerie Catherine Pennec seeks to rediscover the intense oeuvre of this artist through an exhibition inviting reflection on the great themes of existence.
Exhibited Series
• Churches: These works present a mystical and anthropomorphic vision of religious buildings, where church structures merge with human and mythical elements, revealing Maurice Rocher's internal fire and his questioning of faith.
• Notables: A satirical and introspective series, "Notables" captures characters with exaggerated postures and features, symbolizing human comedy and social flaws.
• Women and Couples: An exploration of femininity and human relationships, where women appear as both muses and embodiments of the absolute, but also as devourers of men. In his depictions of couples, Rocher develops a complex iconography of power and dependence.
• Tormented Figures: These works reflect the artist's acute awareness of human suffering through faces distorted by pain, portraying humanity in its ultimate confrontation with destiny.
• Black and White Gouaches: These pieces revisit the themes of Rocher's emblematic series.
Public Collections
Belgium
Brussels, Museum of Modern Art
Veranemann Foundation
Bastogne, Church: stained glass windows, 1969
Humain and Hargimont, Church of Réchrival: stained glass windows, 1958
Marloie, Saint-Georges Church: stained glass windows, 1955
France
Abbeville, Saint-Gilles Church: stained glass windows, 1966
Aron, Church: stained glass windows, 1957
Athis-Mons, Notre-Dame-de-la-Voie Church: stained glass windows, 1954
Auray, Basilica: stained glass windows, 1973
Auray, Sainte-Anne Petit Seminary: stained glass windows, 1965
Beaumont-en-Auge, Church: stained glass windows, 1950
Brest, Artothèque, Municipal Library
Brest, Saint-Louis Church: stained glass windows, 1956
Bretteville-sur-Laize, Notre-Dame de la Visitation Church: stained glass windows, 1958
Caen, Abbaye-aux-Dames: stained glass windows, 1960
Caen, Castle Chapel: stained glass windows, 1969
Cannes, Musée de la Castre
Cavigny, Church: stained glass windows, 1961
Château-Gontier, Saint-Jean Basilica: stained glass windows, 1956
Châteaulin, Juvenate of the Brothers of Plöermel: stained glass windows, 1963
Châteauroux, Musée des Cordeliers
Courseulles, Saint-Germain Church: stained glass windows, 1952
Coutances, Seminary Chapel: stained glass windows, 1954
Dôle, Museum
Elnes, Cathedral: stained glass windows, 1969
Évron, Chapel of the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity: stained glass windows, 1959
Guernes, Notre-Dame Church: stained glass windows, 1955
Hagondange, Church: stained glass windows, 1960
Kermaria, Mother House of the Sisters Chapel: stained glass windows, 1968
Landévennec, Benedictine Abbey: stained glass windows, 1966
Langrune-sur-Mer, Church: stained glass windows, 1966
Le Mesnil-Véneron, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette Church: stained glass windows, 1953
Le Pecq, Saint Thibault Church: stained glass windows, 1962
L'Isle-Adam, Saint-Martin Church: stained glass windows, 1970
Lyon-Vaise, Church: stained glass windows, 1958
Mayenne, Notre-Dame Basilica: stained glass windows, 1956; Saint-Martin Church
Merville, Grand Seminary: stained glass windows, 1961
Nantes, Saint-Nicolas Basilica: stained glass windows, 1961
Nantes, Fine Arts Museum
Nyoiseau, Church: stained glass windows, 1948
Paris, Department of Prints and Photography, National Library of France
Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou
Paris, Saint-Dominique Church: The Word and the Word, 1946, fresco adorning the semi-dome
Paris, National Fund for Contemporary Art
Paris, National Museum of Modern Art
Plouharnel, Sainte-Anne de Kergonan Abbey: stained glass windows, 1970
Poitiers, Sainte-Croix Municipal Museum
Pontmain, Notre-Dame Basilica: stained glass windows, 1975
Pontoise, Municipal Museum
Royan, Church: stained glass windows, 1952
Royan, Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Church: stained glass windows, 1957
Saint-Nazaire, Franciscan Convent: stained glass windows, 1955
Saint-Omer, Sandelin Hotel Museum
Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes: Saint-Pierre de Chammes Church: stained glass windows, 1951; 14 Stations of the Cross paintings
Solesmes, Saint-Pierre Abbey: stained glass windows, 1974
Strasbourg, Notre-Dame de Sion Institute: stained glass windows, 1951
Thaon, Church: stained glass windows, 1953
Toulouse, Saint-Étienne Cathedral: stained glass windows, 1962
Troyes, Museum of Modern Art
Versailles, Grand Seminary Chapel: stained glass windows, 1964
Versailles, Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc Church: stained glass windows, 1977
Versailles, Lambinet Museum: The Gas Factory, charcoal drawing, 1950
Vimereux, Immaculate Conception Church: stained glass windows, 1958
Vitré, Mother House of the Sisters of Guilmarais Chapel: stained glass windows, 1970
Germany
Wiesbaden
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Clervaux, Abbey: stained glass windows, 1960
Ireland
Dublin, Gallery of Modern Art
Mexico
Guadalajara, Expiatory Temple: stained glass windows, 1966
Chihuahua, Cuauhtemoc Museum
Taiwan
Taichung, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Vatican
Vatican Museums
Salons
Paris, Salon des réalités nouvelles, 1968 to 1985
Paris, Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, 1976 to 1981
Tehran, First International Arts Exhibition, December 1974 - January 1975
Autumn Salon, 1960 to 1970
Tokyo, International Figurative Art Exhibition, 1964
Brussels World Expo, 1958
Paris, Young Artists Biennale, 1957
Paris, Galliera Museum, Celebrities and Revelations of Contemporary Painting, 1953
Paris, Charpentier Gallery, One Hundred Masterpieces of Sacred Art, 1952
Paris, Sacred Art Salon, 1945-1949
Paris, Salon of the Under Thirty, 1941
Exhibitions
Catherine Pennec Gallery, Clermont-Ferrand, 2025
Ories Gallery, Lyon, 2024
Cabana Georgina, Marseille, 2024
Versailles in the 20th Century, Artists Museum, Lambinet Museum, Versailles, September-November 2020
Zafman Gallery, Paris, 2008
Pierre Marie Vitoux Gallery, Paris, March-April 2017
Pierre Marie Vitoux Gallery, Paris, 2005, 2007
Olivier Nouvellet Gallery, Paris, 1998, 2002, 2006
Gallery 17, Clermont-Ferrand, 1998
Pierre Marie Vitoux Gallery, Paris, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997
Roger-Quilliot Art Museum, Clermont-Ferrand, 1995
Gallery 17, Clermont-Ferrand, 1994
Lambinet Museum Versailles
Saint-Riquier Abbey, Saint-Riquier (Somme), 1994
Olivier Nouvellet Gallery, Paris, 1993
From Bonnard to Baselitz - Ten Years of Enrichments of the Print Cabinet, 1978-1988, National Library of France, Paris, 1992
Retrospective at the Sorbonne Chapel, Paris, 1991
Bourdette Gallery, Honfleur, 2011
Paintings 1966-1986 at Châteauroux Les Cordeliers
Retrospective at Veruela Abbey, Province of Saragossa
Retrospective at Escaladieu Abbey, Bonnemazon, Tarbes
Abbey of the Cordeliers, Châteauroux, 1988
Contemporary Art Centre, Mont-de-Marsan, 1988
The Figurations of the 60s to Today, Touring Exhibition (Dunkerque, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Troyes, Carcassonne, Châteauroux), 1986-1987
Retrospective at the Castre Museum, Cannes
Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, Troyes, 1986
Convergence Gallery, Nantes, 1982, 1986
18th Arrondissement Town Hall, Paris, 1985
Chesnay Town Hall
Protée Gallery, Paris, 1983, 1984, 1988
Serge Garnier Gallery, Paris, 1983
Palais de l'Europe, Le Touquet, 1983
Old Castle Museum, Laval, 1981
Syn'art, Paris 1980
Forum des Cholettes
Thonon-les-Bains Arts House
Altex Gallery, Madrid, 1977
C.M.A.M Sarcelles, 1977
Ariel Gallery, Paris, 1976, 1979
Paris MJC Les Hauts de Belleville
Paris MJC Poterne des Peupliers
Cultural Animation Centre, Arles
Braux Castle "Cent Faces", St-Cohières, 1976
Armorique Regional Park, 1975
Sandelin Hotel Museum, Saint-Omer, 1974
Veranneman Gallery, Brussels, 1970
A.P.I.A.W, Liège, 1970
Paris, C.I.R.E.C. "Itinerary" 1954-1968
Jacques Massol Gallery, Paris, 1968, 1970, 1972
Drouant Gallery, Paris, 1964
Poitiers Museum, 1953
Association of Painting Amateurs, Jacques Leuvraix Gallery, Paris, January 1949
Publications
Expressionism in Painting, Rezé, Séquences, 1991
Journal 1945-1983, Laval, Éditions Siloé, 1990
Journal, Barèges, Centre International de l'Hospitalet, 1981
Filmography
"Maurice Rocher, the Expressionist", a film by Franck Saint Cast, 2008 (35-minute copy)
"Five Expressionist Painters", medium-length film directed by Charles Chaboud, 1983-1984. Produced by TF1, broadcast by TF1 and INA. With Orlando Pelayo, John Christoforou, Bengt Lindström, Maurice Rocher, and Vladimir Veličković.
Videos
1981, "Maurice Rocher"
Film (10 minutes) by Thibaud Camdessus
1981, "Maurice Rocher" Retrospective, Laval Museum
Film (14 minutes) by Charles Schaettel
1986, "Maurice Rocher, Itinerary"
Film (15 minutes) by Philippe Huneau (INA).
Bibliography
Dictionnaire des Arts Plastiques Modernes et Contemporains, Jean-Pierre Delarge, Gründ, 2001
Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Emmanuel Bénézit, Gründ, 1999
"Maurice Rocher, Paintings 1986-1993", Text by Nathalie Cottin, Altarima Editions, Paris, 1994, reproduction
"Interviews with Maurice Rocher, The Painter, God, the Woman, Paris", Nathalie Cottin, Altamira Editions, 1994
"Maurice Rocher From Expressionism in Painting", Séquences Editions, Rezé, 1991
"Maurice Rocher - Journal 1945-1983", Siloë Editions, 1990
"Maurice Rocher", Gérard Xuriguera, Mayer Editions, 1987
"Maurice Rocher, Women and Notables", Texts by J. Leanceau, G. Xuriguera, J.M. Dunoyer, Modern Art Editions, Paris, 1983, reproduction
"Maurice Rocher Journal Excerpts", National Centre for the Hospitalet, Barèges, 1981, reproduction
"Maurice Rocher", Gérard Xuriguera, "Modern Art" Edition, Paris, 1970
Monographic Catalogues
1995, Fine Arts Museum of Clermont-Ferrand
Texts by N. Cottin, M. Rocher
1994, St-Riquier Abbey
Texts by N. Cottin, M. Rocher
1991, Paris Sorbonne Chapel
Texts by N. Cottin, M. Rocher
1986, Castre Museum, Cannes
Texts by F. Nédellec, J. Clair, M. Rocher
1986, Museum of Modern Art, Troyes
Texts by M. Rocher, Ph. Chabert, G. Xuriguera, B. Dorival, J.J Lévèque, M. Lelong, J.M. Dunoyer
1981, Laval Museum
Texts by Ch. Schaettel, G. Xuriguera, M. Rocher "Journal" excerpts
What Art Critics Say About Him:
"Maurice Rocher is one of those samurais of painting like his expressionist counterparts from the late 20th century: Constant Permeke (the inspiration for his youth), Bengt Lindström, John Christoforou, Orlando Pelayo, Chaïm Soutine, Bernard Lorjou, and many others. He was a painter of energy and inner truth, of celestial wrath, the intensity of pain and pity. He was an inner rebel, a 'wounded one,' an independent fighter for justice and beauty, without parasitic ideology, nor superfluous political commitment, fiercely individualistic and free. And it was this internal fury that made up the material of his painting, a matter thus surpassed, sublimated, transcended, in a figuration where form prevails over the subject, and inventing his personal artistic language with its syntax and own vocabulary."
Nicole Esterolle, Excerpt from the article on Maurice Rocher’s work Link August 2024
"The palette of Maurice Rocher is exclusively made of blacks, whites, and a few earthy tones. Art deeply engaged in the mud of reality. His theme is man, depicted at both poles of his life: the carnal and the sacred, birth and death. A mute, almost animal tenderness appears, more compassion than solace. However, above these figures, all stiffened in their acceptance of a destiny they fulfill in the night, the cloudy sky lights up with dawn’s first gleam. The stained glass windows curiously complement this determined and somewhat sad art with a joy of colours finally freed, which seems to deploy in the high windows of churches the very joy of a redeemed and regenerated man."
Joseph Pichard
"An artist of great boldness, yet always moving."
Henri Héraut
"A microcosm of a very contemporary social context, a reflection of a pessimistic view on human destiny, Maurice Rocher's art relentlessly pins down the prototypes of a corrupt and hypocritical society that hides its dubious morality under the ridiculous and pompous rituals of an established power. Starched uniforms, abusive widows, puffed-up notaries, self
Imaginery interview between Maurice Rocher and the gallery owner Catherine Pennec
Gallery Owner : Maurice Rocher, thank you for granting me this interview in this format. Your body of work is vast and complex, and I’d like to start at the beginning. Tell me about your childhood. How did your calling for art emerge?
Maurice Rocher : It all began in Évron, in the peaceful and mysterious Mayenne region. My parents both came from large families. My father was a stationmaster. My mother often left me in the care of my grandmother, who gave me great freedom. But it was my great-uncle, a painter in Laval, who truly instilled in me a love for art. He gave me my first set of paints. I was 12 years old, and it was a revelation. I would spend hours drawing everything around me.
Gallery Owner : Maurice Rocher, thank you for granting me this interview in this format. Your body of work is vast and complex, and I’d like to start at the beginning. Tell me about your childhood. How did your calling for art emerge?
Maurice Rocher : It all began in Évron, in the peaceful and mysterious Mayenne region. My parents both came from large families. My father was a stationmaster. My mother often left me in the care of my grandmother, who gave me great freedom. But it was my great-uncle, a painter in Laval, who truly instilled in me a love for art. He gave me my first set of paints. I was 12 years old, and it was a revelation. I would spend hours drawing everything around me.
Gallery Owner : You grew up near the Basilica of Évron. Is that where your connection with the sacred began?
Maurice Rocher : Yes. The long hours spent in the basilica, especially in front of the 15th-century Pietà, left a deep impression on me. I also spent a great deal of time at Solesmes Abbey. Sacred art was more than just training; it was a way of transcending reality, of reaching a kind of spiritual purity. At that time, I had a deep belief in God. It guided my brush.
Gallery Owner : But over time, you gradually turned away from faith. What happened?
Maurice Rocher : Life, quite simply, with its share of tragedies and disillusionments. Three events triggered this shift. In 1968, I lost one of my children, Jean-Baptiste, at the prime of his life—he was 24. An insurmountable shock. Then, the death of a Colombian priest-turned-guerrilla fighter, who was shot by the ruling forces (1966). His face became a source of inspiration for a specific painting and for my later depictions of the tormented. And then, in the background, the Second Vatican Council—it was the final blow. Watching the Church squander its spiritual and architectural heritage in favour of an empty modernism… it was unbearable. After that, I turned my back on faith and the Catholic Church.
Gallery Owner : And yet, your stained-glass windows continue to resonate with believers. You have left a significant mark on sacred art. How did you approach these commissions?
Maurice Rocher : With ambivalence. I dedicated myself fully to these projects, but I knew that my personal painting could never emerge through them. It was a separate kind of work. In a church, the artist must remain discreet. It’s not their ego that matters, but the atmosphere they create, always in respect of the architecture.
Gallery Owner : From 1965 onwards, your personal works seem to be marked by a new kind of violence and tension. What changed?
Maurice Rocher : The rupture. With the Catholic Church, with myself. Painting became my outlet. I painted tormented figures, “visages-matières”, couples. It was a way to exorcise my pain.
Gallery Owner : You grew up near the Basilica of Évron. Is that where your connection with the sacred began?
Maurice Rocher : Yes. The long hours spent in the basilica, especially in front of the 15th-century Pietà, left a deep impression on me. I also spent a great deal of time at Solesmes Abbey. Sacred art was more than just training; it was a way of transcending reality, of reaching a kind of spiritual purity. At that time, I had a deep belief in God. It guided my brush.
Gallery Owner : But over time, you gradually turned away from faith. What happened?
Maurice Rocher : Life, quite simply, with its share of tragedies and disillusionments. Three events triggered this shift. In 1968, I lost one of my children, Jean-Baptiste, at the prime of his life—he was 24. An insurmountable shock. Then, the death of a Colombian priest-turned-guerrilla fighter, who was shot by the ruling forces (1966). His face became a source of inspiration for a specific painting and for my later depictions of the tormented. And then, in the background, the Second Vatican Council—it was the final blow. Watching the Church squander its spiritual and architectural heritage in favour of an empty modernism… it was unbearable. After that, I turned my back on faith and the Catholic Church.
Gallery Owner : And yet, your stained-glass windows continue to resonate with believers. You have left a significant mark on sacred art. How did you approach these commissions?
Maurice Rocher : With ambivalence. I dedicated myself fully to these projects, but I knew that my personal painting could never emerge through them. It was a separate kind of work. In a church, the artist must remain discreet. It’s not their ego that matters, but the atmosphere they create, always in respect of the architecture.
Gallery Owner : From 1965 onwards, your personal works seem to be marked by a new kind of violence and tension. What changed?
Maurice Rocher : The rupture. With the Catholic Church, with myself. Painting became my outlet. I painted tormented figures, “visages-matières”, couples. It was a way to exorcise my pain.
Gallery Owner : Let’s talk about some of your most striking series: the distorted churches, the “visages-matières”, the tormented figures.
Maurice Rocher : Those churches are my inner cathedrals—often feminine, sometimes monstrous. Their baroque façades gradually transform into living beings. They become disjointed, stretch, animate, sometimes even set into motion.
The raw faces represent the dissolution of humanity into raw matter—a cry against the absurdity of human existence.
As for the tormented figures… they are modern-day martyrs, universal symbols of suffering, starting with my own. Among them, you are exhibiting my Tormented No. 21. At the time, I asked myself: "How long will I keep playing with fire before I, too, become like one of them? Will I be tomorrow No. 21?"
Gallery Owner : I pay tribute to you, Mr Rocher, through your daughter Claire. This retrospective exhibition, featuring works from your emblematic series, is titled Maurice Rocher : “Du sacré à la Comédie Humaine” (From the Sacred to the Human Comedy). Does this resonate with you?
Maurice Rocher : Your title… it is fitting. This journey from the sacred to the human comedy is my entire trajectory—not only as an artist but as a man.
Before, I sought answers in the divine, in a light that would descend from above to ease doubts, to heal wounds. My paintings from that era still bear the traces of this: dark, tense, almost painful hues, reaching for something unattainable.
But gradually, I realised that this quest for the absolute was slipping away from me—or perhaps, I was the one moving away from it. And so, I began to look elsewhere. Not towards the heavens, but towards people—their gestures, their flaws, their desires, their suffering, their arrogance. Crimson red took precedence over flesh pink. The human comedy is precisely that: a theatre where we all play our roles, with both greatness and absurdity intertwined. That’s ultimately what my satirical paintings of the elite—lawyers, judges, generals, ambassadors, cardinals, all those in power—express.
Gallery Owner : Though you have distanced yourself from faith, do you still believe in humanity?
Maurice Rocher : Believe in humanity? Believe in it, no. Believe what it is, with its shadows and its bursts of light—yes, certainly. There is an undeniable strength, a certain beauty in this fragility. My more recent works testify to this: figures often imperfect, damaged, sometimes grotesque, but deeply human in both their violence and their fragility.
So, to return to the previous question—yes, your title resonates with me. It speaks of evolution, but also of acceptance: of the human condition, especially in its tragic aspects. That is what my tense, anguished faces convey, always turned upward in questioning, as well as my tormented figures and my couples.
Gallery Owner : I would like to discuss your complex relationship with women. In your work, women seem to hold an important, sometimes ambiguous place.
Maurice Rocher : Women have been an obsession in my life. They are both muse and sacred figure, but also the embodiment of my fulfilled or repressed desires. As I wrote in my journal: "The denied flesh, the triumphant flesh, and the Black Angel who waits for his time, like vultures high in the sky."
Before 1965, my depictions of women often carried a mystical spirituality, close to the Marian ideal. "In moments where I had everything to be happy, the mythical Woman always interposed herself. It was the flesh-and-blood woman I encountered in the street. She stood between me and happiness, like a screen."
After 1965, women became more earthly, ironic—sometimes even devouring figures with heavy breasts, "this man-eater, painted so many times that I had to experience her myself one day."
Gallery Owner : What do you wish to leave behind for posterity?
Maurice Rocher: Nothing. My works speak for themselves. I paint to exorcise my demons, not to please or to be understood. But if my stained-glass windows, my paintings, my church-women, my raw faces can still touch someone sincerely, then perhaps it was worth it.
Gallery Owner: You are often described as unclassifiable, yet many define you as an Expressionist painter. Could you say a few words about Expressionism?
Maurice Rocher : In 1983, an art critic asked me to write something about Expressionism. I wrote: "Expressionism is a 'state'—a way of being, feeling, living. It is an exasperation, a disequilibrium, an anomaly, a poisoned gift. But the one who receives it knows how to see and express what remains hidden from others, even if it sometimes kills him. He knows the turmoil of blood. Like a medium, he feels the telluric, existential anguish, this thirst for the absolute that every human carries within but ignores. Expressionism can be pantheistic, solar—it is also hell. It is always passion. The words ‘happiness’ and ‘joy’ do not belong to its vocabulary. It is beyond Baroque, sometimes malevolent, always sacred. One is born an Expressionist, one does not become one. Disfiguration is not Expressionism. It is, beyond that, the pulse of life through flesh, blood, fire, excess, madness—sometimes even death. Humanity struggles to accept it, regardless of the country; the French least of all. Timeless by nature, rarely recognised, yet inseparable from humanity, from its tragic journey and its destiny.
Expressionists are killed, just as prophets are."
Gallery Owner : What a conclusion! What would you like to say to those discovering your work at this exhibition?
Maurice Rocher : Art is a quest, never an answer. Those who look at my work must seek for themselves what they need to find.
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